


draggin' the line

by satans_cinnamonroll



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Aquariums, Fluff, M/M, Smooching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 06:49:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13676469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satans_cinnamonroll/pseuds/satans_cinnamonroll
Summary: For someone who’s deathly afraid of the ocean and the creatures within, Kyungsoo really couldn’t have picked a more ill-suiting job.





	draggin' the line

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift for chansooNYE, with the prompts: fluff, smooches, and sharks. I may or may not have written the entire thing last night, but whatever.  
> title taken from the song by Tommy James & the Shondells (has literally nothing to do with the fic)  
> To Maddie: I hope you enjoy this dear! Hopefully you weren't expecting a long fic, because those are my weakness & I had limited time, so I hope this barely 1k thing works ♡

For someone who’s deathly afraid of the ocean and the creatures within, Kyungsoo really couldn’t have picked a more ill-suiting job.

When he’d first applied to the aquarium, Kyungsoo hoped he’d be stuck in the gift shop or the restaurant. Maybe the ticket booth. Hell, even working the coral reef or seahorse exhibits would be better than _shark central_. Kyungsoo really didn’t want to spend his days with animals that terrified him.

Chanyeol had laughed at him. The lucky bastard had gotten to work the penguin exhibit. All he had to do was feed them every few hours and sit in a nice cozy room, projecting some film about emperor penguins.  

Kyungsoo also wasn’t that fond of kids, who just so happened to be the aquariums target audience. Shark central was always swarming with kids, overly excited about getting to touch the sharks. He also has to deal with a lot of parents, normally single moms who aren’t afraid to get a little touchy while he’s trying to assist the children.

Yeri, his coworker, had a laughing fit the first time it happened. His face had been so red, she snapped a photo and sent it to Chanyeol. What a day that had been.

   

There’s just something about Mondays that make Kyungsoo really dislike his job.

There isn't even that much of a crowd, most people stuck in school or at work, but his shift is shitty nonetheless. About ten of the aquarium staff have simultaneously come down with the flu, which leaves them understaffed and has Kyungsoo running between shark central and the rainforest playplace. There’s also a birthday party. It’s full of bratty children, who get too handsy with the sharks, and parents who get irritated when he has to ask them to stop.

By lunch he’s exhausted and ready to pull his hair out. Chanyeol is kind enough to pick him up a burger from the cafe, letting Kyungsoo cuddle up to him on one of the couches in the employee lounge. Most employees prefer to take their lunch at the cafe, so it’s just the two of them. Chanyeol rambles about his day in that deep, soothing voice of his, content to do most of the talking. When it nears the end of their break Chanyeol refuses to let him go without smothering him with multiple kisses, leaving him flustered and wishing they could just hide away in the lounge, spending the rest of the day just like this.

It’s just the reprieve he needs, and upon rejoining Yeri at the shark pool he’s in much better spirits.

 

It lasts up until a toddler manages to escape her parents and splash her hands in the pool, disrupting the sharks and getting water everywhere. Including Kyungsoo. He and Yeri are forced to close the exhibit until everything gets cleaned up and the sharks calm down, earning them quite a few dirty looks and complaints.

One parent refuses to let it go. “I paid a lot of money for this trip, I expect my children will get to touch the sharks!”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but it is Newport policy that we close the exhibit after incidents like these. The cafe is just down the hall, why don’t you get yourself something to eat then comeback? I’m sure it will be reopened by then.”

The woman looks ready to continue arguing, and it hits Kyungsoo that this is probably one of those _“I’d like to speak to your manager”_ ladies. She has the haircut and everything. It takes all his willpower not to laugh in her face.

Yeri lets out a hyena cackle when the lady finally gives up. Kyungsoo returns to his position behind the pool, where Yeri has to grab his arm to save herself from doubling over, laughing so hard.

“Oh my god, did you see? She had the hair!! Kyungsoo, holy shit!”

However, as the day drags on and none of the janitors have come to tidy up (thankfully the lady doesn’t return), the situation loses its hilarity as more and more irritated parents pass by. Turns out, the aquarium is even more understaffed today than he thought, the day janitor leaving early citing a family emergency. Their boss tells them to just close the pool for the day, and leave the mess for the night janitor.

After that, Kyungsoo is permanently moved to the playplace for the remaining two hours of his shift. It’s loud, to say the least. A headache hits within the first half hour, but the kids only seem to get more rambunctious as time passes.

The only thing that gets him through it is the fact that neither he nor Chanyeol have to close up tonight, and that soon he’ll get to leave.

A little kid pulls on his shirt, “There’s poop in one of the slides.”

One more hour.

 

It’s eerily silent without anyone around. Kyungsoo’s hanging around the employee exit, waiting for his boyfriend to finish changing. He’s dead tired, hurting, and all he wants is to sleep.

Chanyeol has to practically drag Kyungsoo out to the car, his legs like jelly, leaning deadweight against the taller. They’re parked not to far away, and soon Kyungsoo’s drifting off n the passenger seat as Chanyeol speeds over the bridge. Normally Kyungsoo likes to look out at the river when crossing the bridge, because it’s pretty of a night time, illuminated by the Cincinnati lights. Not tonight, though.

It’s a thirty minute drive to their apartment, so when Chanyeol eventually shakes him awake, Kyungsoo feels a bit better.

Inside their apartment, Chanyeol pushes Kyungsoo onto the couch. There’s a water bottle and ibuprofen pressed into his hands, leftover skyline placed in front of him a few minutes later.

“You wanna shower tonight? Or save it for the morning and head to bed?” Chanyeol questions.

“Bed” Kyungsoo croaks out. Chanyeol gives him a warm smile and nods, kissing the top of his head. He disappears down the hallway, leaving Kyungsoo to eat.

Food finished a few minutes later, Kyungsoo follows his boyfriend into the bedroom. He finds Chanyeol changing, pulling on a t-shirt just as he walks in. Chanyeol steals a few kisses as Kyungsoo changes, happy to hear his smaller boyfriend letting out little giggles after the terrible day he had.

It’s barely 9 o’clock when they climb into bed, and Chanyeol doesn’t appear that tired yet, but he turns off the light and wraps himself around Kyungsoo anyways.

He doesn’t know what he’d do without Chanyeol. Linking their fingers together, Kyungsoo mumbles an “I love you” into his pillow.

There’s a kiss on his head, “I love you too. Sleep now, baby.” Another light kiss, and another, lulling Kyungsoo into a peaceful sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> the aquarium is a real place!!!! Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky. when I saw the request for sharks, I figured it'd be the perfect setting, considering I've been multiple times and know the layout. The bridge/river referenced is the bridge over the Ohio River, as the aquarium is only a 10 minute drive from Cincinnati despite technically being in another state. It's amazing, so to anyone from the cinci/kentucky areas, i highly recommend it.
> 
> my twitter is @minayeollie if y'all wanna talk to me !!! i'd like to think i'm a pretty chill person


End file.
